Legend of Zelda: Dawn of Reform
by Pondera Ultimate
Summary: In the Industrial Revolution of Hyrule, Link saves the daughter of Hyrule's ambassador to Termina. He doesn't expect to find romance out of the situation, but he expects even less to uncover a disturbingly mysterious plot and his own gruesome past.


_**Legend of Zelda: Dawn of Reform**_

Chapter 1

* * *

Silence. Absolute silence. The small clearing was dark and covered in mist. Stones jutted out of the earth every here and there like blunt teeth. Devoid of life, devoid of motion, devoid of sound; the clearing had remained inactive for countless centuries. It was the sort of area that almost seemed to be begging for activity, chaos, entropy.

Suddenly, there was soft rustling. Not very loud, slightly distant, but the simple sound broke the icy tension that had fallen over the clearing. The rustling began to grow louder, louder, until seven figures emerged from the thick fog. One of them walked in front of the others, obviously the leader of the group, his dark cloak dragging a bit farther behind him than those of his counterparts.

The group of robed men made their way towards the center of the large clearing. An abnormally large rock stood there, its perfect rectangular design out of place in an area that had been eaten away by the flow of time. Its glossy, gray surface remained untarnished, save an image of an eye that stared blankly into the mist.

After a short period of walking, the men had arrived at the stone in the center, and upon reaching it, they formed a ring around the monolith. As one, they all lifted their hands forward and began chanting. It started out softly; a deep, mellow, yet discordant sound that assisted in breaking through the stillness. But as the chant progressed, the voices became louder, harsher, angrier. Soon the mist began to flee from the clearing as the stone in the center began glowing black, the darkness driving off surrounding shadows.

The chant then reached its climax, and the dark glow moved off of the stone and onto the bald ground before it. In a sudden puff of smoke, the darkness suddenly disappeared, or so it seemed. The chanting of the cloaked men ceased, their bodies halted in anticipation.

At first, nothing happened. But slowly, a form began to appear on the ground, growing in size. It started as a small black speck, then became a small blob, then a pool, then a figure. The figure began to gain features: a short, pointy nose, pointed ears, red eyes, purplish skin. Its body was wrapped in a cloak of royal purple, a red jewel sat upon its head.

The man, or in this case Minish, took a deep breath in, relishing in the feeling of existing once again. He slowly looked up into the face of the cloaked group's leader. An impish grin quickly spread across the Minish's face as he seemed to see past the shroud on the face of the seven foot, muscular man before him. The man on the ground slowly rose, cleared his throat for the first time in centuries, and pierced the tense silence with a single word.

"Ganondorf."

The leader of the group pulled back his hood, revealing a man with blood red hair and eyes, with olive colored skin. "You can talk. That's a start," Ganondorf stated, the edges of his mouth curling upward.

"Vaati is at your service, my _lord_," Vaati responded, bowing overdramatically.

"It's been a long time."

"You have no idea. You were at least able to go chasing after the Triforce, while I've spent the last few centuries bound to this rock." Vaati gave a light chuckle, one that dripped with a touch of insanity. Ganondorf joined the Minish in laughter as memories of old arose in his head.

"I did warn you about the Sheikah, Vaati. Strong, crafty folk they are. Like a snake."

Vaati ceased laughing, along with Ganondorf, but kept the grin plastered on his face. "You speak as if you were an expert on the subject."

"I've had a fair number of dealings with them in the past."

"Oh? And what type of dealings, may I ask, are you referring to?"

Ganondorf's light smile immediately faded to an expression of seriousness, almost annoyance. "That is of little consequence right now."

"Please," Vaati responded. "Enlighten me. I have all the time in the world for a few stories."

"I do not," Ganondorf stated bluntly.

"So tell me then," Vaati said, his curiosity perking. "To what, exactly, do I owe the... _honor _of your presence?"

"I think you know," Ganondorf said, slowly folding his arms across his chest.

"Why Ganondorf, whatever do you mean?" Vaati's grin grew even larger, a playful look overtaking his face. Ganondorf recognized the Minish's game, and his temper began to flare. _If he does not speak soon_, he thought, _I will rip the answers from him_.

"You have something with you that I need. I know this because I went looking for it in the Shadow Temple, its past resting place, and I could feel that you had taken it."

"Now now, Ganondorf, you must be more specific if you want me to help you. There are so many different little trinkets left in that wreck."

"I'm not in the mood to play your games, Vaati. Give it to me."

"Just one little description."

"Now!"

"Perhaps its color-"

Ganondorf stepped forward, backhanding the Minish's face. Vaati fell to the ground giggling, a small string of blood trickling out of his mouth. "The piece!" Ganondorf spat. "I want the piece! Is that good enough for you!" He hauled Vaati up from the ground long enough to whisper, "I do not trust these so-called magicians enough to discuss things as important as this within their earshot." The demon thief then threw his friend/adversary to the ground before putting out his hand, waiting for Vaati give him his possession.

"Why Ganondorf," Vaati said, mock surprise in his voice. "You didn't actually think that this is the kind of thing I can just hand over to you, did you?" He slowly got up, his knees weak, his laughter increasing in gusto. "And you told me that you knew about the Sheikah, or at least the stories of old oh so well. Haven't you heard enough to get down the patterns? The little things that keep coming, coming, returning, returning?" He shook his head vigorously, staring Ganondorf directly in the eyes, putting a look on his face that was challenging, daring. "Yes, the piece has been bonded with my very essence. If you want it so badly, you're going to have to... _extract_ it from me."

Ganondorf smiled wickedly. "That's fine. It shall be an easy task for me." Two of the robed figures surrounding the pair stepped forward and firmly grasped Vaati by the arms.

"Don't be so sure of yourself, Ganondorf," Vaati spoke calmly. "You remember where that's gotten you in the past, yes?"

"Circumstances are different this time around," Ganondorf said raising his hands into the air. "And so are my goals."

A ball of red ball of energy grew into existence above the group of men. It continued growing in size until it surrounded everyone, then quickly retracted back into itself with a sizzle. Then, once again, there was silence.

Absolute silence.


End file.
